Istanbul Indie Film Awards (1)

Festival start: 05 January 2027      Festival end: 10 January 2027

Istanbul Indie Film Awards (IIFA) is a new festival bringing independent producers, directors and audiences together. The first edition runs entirely online from 5 to 10 January 2027, organised from Istanbul. Selected films are screened to our audience during the festival dates and judged by an independent jury.

Who can apply. Feature films (40 minutes and over), short films (under 40 minutes) and documentaries of any length, in any genre and language, from any country, completed after 1 January 2023. Student and professional filmmakers compete in the same categories. No premiere requirement. Entry fees are kept low.

What we look for. A distinct voice, honest storytelling and craft that serves the story — not budget. First and second films are especially welcome.

Screening. Films are streamed online in a protected player during the festival dates; no downloads. Every film must be submitted with its English subtitles as a separate .srt file, including films in English; burned-in subtitles are not accepted. Turkish subtitles are prepared by the festival at our own cost.

Awards. No award is paid in cash. Awards include the IIFA trophy, professional software licences (DaVinci Resolve Studio, Final Draft), remote colour grading, sound mixing and DCP mastering. Every winner receives the laurel pack, a signed digital certificate and a one-year Plooy membership.

After the festival. Every finalist film is guaranteed screening and distribution on Plooy (plooy.tv), our partner streaming platform, under a non-exclusive agreement with a revenue share based on viewing, and its director is interviewed in Plooy Journal. If the filmmaker prefers not to, the film is not published; this has no effect on the award, and apart from the entry fee no fee is ever requested from filmmakers.

Rights. Submitting a film grants IIFA only the right to review it and, if selected, to screen it online during the festival dates and use its trailer, stills and extracts of up to 60 seconds for promotion. All other rights remain with the filmmaker.

Jury. The jury will be announced on 20 December 2026, the day submissions close. We do this deliberately: choosing the jury after submissions close ensures that no film gains an advantage through access to or acquaintance with a juror, or is ever suspected of it. A juror with a personal or professional connection to a film does not vote on that film, and the festival organisers do not sit on the jury. Every film is judged on its own merits.

Key dates. Submissions open 3 October 2026 · Earlybird 31 October · Regular 30 November · Final deadline 20 December 2026 · Notification 28 December 2026 · Festival 5–10 January 2027.

IIFA Grand Prize (best feature): IIFA trophy + DaVinci Resolve Studio licence + DCP mastering (digital delivery)

IIFA Short (best short film): IIFA trophy + remote colour grade (up to 20 minutes)

IIFA Documentary: IIFA trophy + remote sound mix

IIFA Director: IIFA trophy

IIFA Jury (special jury prize): IIFA trophy

IIFA Screenplay: Final Draft licence

IIFA Performance: showreel edit

IIFA Cinematography, IIFA First Feature, IIFA Audience: laurel + signed digital certificate

All winners: winner laurel pack + signed digital certificate + one-year Plooy membership

All finalists: guaranteed screening and distribution on Plooy + interview in Plooy Journal + finalist laurel + written jury feedback

1. Organiser. Istanbul Indie Film Awards (IIFA), Istanbul, Türkiye. Full information: istanbulindiefilm.com

2. Eligibility. Films completed after 1 January 2023, from any country and in any language. There is no premiere requirement; films previously screened at festivals, broadcast or published online may be submitted. Student and professional work compete in the same categories.

3. Categories. Feature Film (40 minutes and over), Short Film (under 40 minutes), Documentary (any length). A film is entered in one category only; if it is entered in the wrong one, we move it and inform the submitter.

4. Language and subtitles. Every film must be submitted with its English subtitles as a separate, time-coded .srt file — including films whose dialogue is in English. Burned-in (hard-coded) subtitles are not accepted. Films without dialogue are exempt. Turkish subtitles for the screening are prepared by the festival at our own cost.

5. Entry fee. The entry fee is paid only through Festhome, at submission, and is non-refundable. The festival does not ask filmmakers for any other fee, membership, subscription or purchase in connection with selection, screening or awards.

6. How to submit. Submissions are accepted through Festhome only. Films sent directly by e-mail are not considered.

7. Calendar. Submissions opened 3 October 2026. Earlybird deadline 31 October 2026, regular deadline 30 November 2026, final deadline 20 December 2026. Notification 28 December 2026. Festival 5–10 January 2027.

8. Selection. Every submitted film is watched from beginning to end by at least two members of the selection committee. Technical quality, rights documentation and age classification are checked at this stage. A committee member with a personal or professional connection to a film does not evaluate that film.

9. Jury. The jury is announced on 20 December 2026, when submissions close. It watches the selected films and decides the awards; its decisions are final. A juror with a personal or professional connection to a film does not vote on that film. The festival organisers do not sit on the jury.

10. Notification. All submitters are notified through Festhome by 28 December 2026. Films that are not selected are not screened and carry no obligation of any kind.

11. Screening. The festival is held entirely online. Selected films are screened in a protected online player during the festival dates; no downloads are offered and playback addresses are time-limited and issued per viewer. The festival may apply an age classification for display purposes. The awards ceremony is held online as well, so no travel is required.

12. Rights. Submitting a film grants the festival the right to review it and, if selected, to screen it during the festival, and to use the trailer, stills and extracts of up to 60 seconds to promote the edition. Nothing else is granted. Selection is non-exclusive: the film remains free for any other festival, broadcaster or platform before, during and after our dates.

13. After the festival. Every finalist film is guaranteed screening and distribution on Plooy (plooy.tv): after the festival the film is published on Plooy under a non-exclusive agreement with a revenue share based on viewing. If the filmmaker prefers not to, the film is not published; this does not affect the award, the laurel or the filmmaker's relationship with the festival. Festival screening files of films without a streaming agreement are deleted from our servers within 30 days of the closing date.

14. Awards. No award is paid in cash. Software licences are delivered to the winner by e-mail. Technical services attached to an award are provided remotely (via file exchange) by the festival's own studio and are valid for twelve months from the award date; they cannot be used at another studio, exchanged for cash, or transferred to a third party. IIFA trophies are shipped to the winner's address by the festival. As the festival is online, no travel or accommodation is involved.

15. Warranty. The submitter confirms that they hold, or are authorised to license, all rights in the film, including music, archive material and performances, and that the film does not infringe the rights of third parties.

16. Technical. Minimum 1080p, H.264 or H.265, stereo or 5.1 audio. Selected films will be asked for a download link (Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer or similar) to a screening file. The .srt subtitle file must already accompany the submission.

17. Disqualification. Films containing unlawful content, hate speech, or material infringing third-party rights are disqualified. The festival may remove a film from the programme if a credible rights claim is received.

18. Acceptance. By submitting, you confirm that the information provided is accurate and that you accept these rules.